With controversial revelations, this book shows how, by Rupert's birth, a pattern for the cut-throat exercise of power through an expanding media chain had been set - a course still followed to this day.
The unauthorised biography of Australia's first media magnate
Following theNews of the Worldphone-hacking scandal, Rupert Murdoch said his greatest regret was that he had let his father down. Popular history views Sir Keith Murdoch (1885-1952) as a fearless war correspondent - author of the famous letter that led to the evacuation of the Anzac force from Gallipoli - and a principled journalist and dedicated family man who, on his death, left a single provincial newspaper to Rupert. This benign reputation is unsurprising- the two previously published biographies of Keith were Murdoch family commissions.
But is there another side to the story of Keith's success and the origins of News Corporation?
Before Rupertis an unflinching prequel to the saga of the Murdoch family's rise to power. Historian Tom Roberts draws on an unparalleled range of interviews, correspondence and archival sources to trace the genesis of the family's involvement with the news and entertainment industry and their resulting influence. This book explores how Keith Murdoch ruthlessly exploited his networks to gain ultimate control over Australia's media and political landscapes.
With controversial revelations, this book shows how, by Rupert's birth, a pattern for the cut-throat exercise of power through an expanding media chain had been set - a course still followed to this day.
'In this engrossing study Tom Roberts draws on a remarkable range of sources, many for the first time, to show how Keith Murdoch succeeded in his ambition.'Stuart MacIntyre, author ofThe History Wars
'A readable and entertaining biography . . . impeccably researched.'Books+Publishing
Industry Reviews
'In this engrossing study Tom Roberts draws on a remarkable range of sources, many for the first time, to show how Keith Murdoch succeeded in his ambition.'
- Stuart MacIntyre, author of The History Wars
'A readable and entertaining biography . . . impeccably researched.'
- Books+Publishing
‘A rare combination of rigorous research and racy read, Roberts’ take on the Murdoch phenomenon traces Australian and world media history through the journey of Keith, the journalist who blew the lid on the Gallipoli campaign, then fought hard and long for conscription. In both, he set the pattern for government through media, long before Rupert. Murdoch senior made and broke prime ministers and built a media empire.’
- David Cusworth, Weekend West
‘… a fine biography, full of remarkable insights into a central figure in Australian corporate and political history, a figure hitherto enveloped in family mythology’
- Peter Cochrane, The Conversation
‘… a devastating critique of what was happening behind the scenes … somehow I doubt if his book will be praised in News Ltd papers. I recommend everyone to read it carefully, for it is a striking contribution to our knowledge of the times endured by our immediate predecessors.’- Michael Cannon, Inside Story
‘The Murdoch genius for government by media, it appears did not begin with Rupert. Tom Roberts' impressive and detailed study of Sir Keith Murdoch additionally gifts us with the shaping of an even more famous son.’
- Chris Masters, author of Jonestown and multi-Walkley Award winner
‘… a fantastically readable story … the book is not merely a demythologisation of the stories Keith made his fortune on, but of the man as mythmaker himself.’
- The Saturday Paper
